NBC Renews Hannibal for a Second Season!

And the angels sing… or scream… or whatever they do around serial killers. We just got word that NBC has given a 13-episode second-season renewal to its critically applauded drama “Hannibal.” Show NBC some love and be sure to tune in tonight!

From the Press Release:“Hannibal” is based on the characters from the novel Red Dragon by Thomas Harris and was developed for television by Bryan Fuller, who also serves as writer and executive producer. The announcement was made by NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke.

“We’re so proud of Bryan’s vision for a show that is richly textured, psychologically complex, and very compelling,” Salke said. “There are many great stories still to be told.”

Critics have strongly embraced the series, which stars Hugh Dancy as expert criminal profiler Will Graham, who has a unique ability to peer into the mind of serial killers. Mads Mikkelsen stars as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a psychiatrist who is helping with the cases and, unbeknownst to Will, is also a serial killer himself. Laurence Fishburne stars as Jack Crawford, the head of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit. Caroline Dhavernas and Hettienne Park also co-star.

Through its eight original telecasts to date, “Hannibal” is averaging a 2.0 rating, 6 share in adults 18-49, and 4.7 million viewers overall in “most current” results from Nielsen Media Research. ”Hannibal” is the youngest drama on ABC, CBS, and NBC, with a median age for its audience of 45.7. It’s also an upscale drama, indexing at a 111 among adults 18-49 living in homes with $100K+ incomes (with 100 indicating an average concentration of those homes). Additionally, “Hannibal” is heavily time-shifted, with its 18-49 rating growing by 75% going from next-day “live plus same day” ratings to “live plus seven day” results.

In addition to Fuller, Martha De Laurentiis, Jesse Alexander, Chris Brancato, Sara Colleton, Katie O’Connell, Elisa Roth, Sidonie Dumas, and Christophe Riandee also serve as executive producers. The series is produced by Gaumont International Television, Dino De Laurentiis Company, and Living Dead Guy Productions and co-commissioned internationally by Sony Pictures Television Networks.

“Hannibal” Episode 1.10 – “BUFFET FROID” (airs 5/30/13)BAU investigates a murder in which two victims’ faces are similarly mutilated: given a “Glasgow Smile.” For the first time Will (Hugh Dancy) contaminates a crime scene, thinking he committed the first murder, and an MRI shows he suffers from Advanced Encephalitis. But Hannibal (Mads Mikkelsen) intimidates the attending physician, Dr. Sutcliffe (John Benjamin Hickey), into telling Will he’s okay.

Meanwhile the team doubts Will, who says, while revisiting the crime scene alone, he saw a mysterious, “dead-looking” woman (Ellen Muth) who may be involved. With his fears fed by Hannibal, Will returns to Dr. Sutcliffe for more mental health tests, when the doctor is murdered.